7 Creative Ways to Grow Gratitude

This year may have been hard on you. Perhaps you’re troubled by the high prices of, well, everything. Maybe the loss of a loved one—whether it’s a relationship, like the dissolution of your marriage, or a relative who died, or a falling out with a friend—has destabilized you. 

You may be ruminating about the many trials you’re facing and how counter-intuitive gratitude is as a response.

Wait until you hear about Dr. Robert Emmons. This psychology professor dedicated his life to researching the impact of gratitude, concluding that cultivating gratitude helps us cope after a crisis. 

But the keyword is cultivate. A lifestyle of gratitude can only come with intentional effort and practice. 

Since trouble is an equal-opportunity thug, growing in thankfulness is a must. For everyone. 

Including yours truly. 

Care to join me? Let’s crank up our capacity for gratitude.

Here are 7 creative ways to do so.

1. Sunrise and Sunset

Psalm 65: 8 declares, “From where the sun rises to where it sets, you inspire shouts of joy” (NLT). If you’ve ever savored the splashes of color that mark the shift from day to evening and vice versa, you know why this verse links them with joy. 

God could’ve marked this daily transition with something else. Or with nothing. Instead, He chose to morph the sky into a masterpiece—sometimes with vivid strokes, others with more muted pastels—twice a day.

Such an uninhibited show of kindness.

How about if we respond to this good God by discontinuing whatever we do around sunset to stroll outside? If your schedule permits it, get up earlier and greet the morning by watching the sunrise. Gaze skyward and relish the splashes of saffron. Magnificent magentas. Alluring azures. 

Let’s watch the sky’s interplay of colors and use the occasion to praise the master Artist—exactly as the psalm above indicates.

2. Utilize Digits

Every time you catch the clock displaying duplicate digits (like 1:11 or 12:12), make a point to thank God. It can be for a trivial incident, like getting an unexpected free pastry along with the coffee you bought, or a weightier one, like a praise report or wonderful news from a loved one. 

To dress up this exercise, research the meaning of numbers in the Bible and apply it to your gratitude. For instance, 5 symbolizes grace; as such, thank God for His amazing grace each time your clock strikes a 5.

3. Investigate Your World

The other day I heard myself utter a short, but unusual, thanksgiving prayer. “Lord, thank You for strong verbs like recruit!” I paused my prayer. I had never heard anyone thank God for verbs before. Still, I was thankful for whoever created verbs that convey strength. 

As a psychologist and author, words rattle around in my wheelhouse. But you don’t have to share my profession to practice this point. Whether you’re a social media influencer, homeschooling your little ones, or a corporate employee working remotely, glance around your world and pinpoint the pieces—and people—who support you on a regular basis. Instead of taking them for granted, learn to be thankful for them.

4. Include the Unpleasant

Stretch your comfort zone and be generous toward those who have been anything but endearing. Perhaps you can surprise your chatty co-worker with a gift card just because. The neighbor whose political leanings are too, um, wrong? Maybe you could invite him for a home-cooked meal. (Psst: takeout will do also). 

Countering negative feelings with giving is biblical. Proverbs 25:21-22 exhorts, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you” (NKJV).

Besides, generous souls are happy souls. Since it’s easier to be thankful when we’re happy, by showing generosity we’re also working out that gratitude muscle. 

One big, happy loop.

5. Carve Out Compliments

Offer at least one compliment to another person every day. It’s easy to congratulate a recent graduate or newlywed for their obvious joy, but think about mundane things too. If you notice your roommate’s color-coordinated, sharp outfit when she usually dresses casually, for instance, compliment her on that. If you appreciate your client’s new hairdo, make sure you vocalize it. 

How is this related to growing in gratitude? What you do will boomerang back to you. This is how the Bible put it: “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant” (Galatians 6:7, NLT). Based on this verse, if you consistently pay genuine compliments, someone will, at some point, knock your socks off with kudos. 

And when this happens, voila. You’ve just scored another chance to practice gratitude.

6. On Behalf of Others

John and I recently visited another married couple we knew from church. Both spouses work in the financial industry. 

My immediate response upon sighting their house was envy. It must be nice to be them.

The spacious house boasted a terraced backyard, complete with a pool and jacuzzi. The building itself held enough rooms to host the six couples who showed up. Their property value tripled ours.

But then Paul’s remarks about the body of Christ interrupted my mood. “If one part [of the body] suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26). This verse reminded me that instead of responding in jealousy, I had the option of rejoicing for fellow believers’ prosperity. 

If you—like me—have yet to embrace the things you see other Christians are reveling in, try gratitude. Ours is a God who doesn’t play favorites (Romans 2:11). Like Jim Reeves sang, “What He’s done for others, He’ll do for you.”

Gratitude for someone else’s blessings may just inch you closer to your own.

7. Thankfulness Day

Tag one day of the week as your “thankfulness day.” When that day arrives, recite the week’s turn of events for which you are grateful. You can do this exercise with others—so that each person takes turns describing reasons for their gratitude—but also solo, such as by journaling.

Even if it feels like the week has dropped nothing but terrible things into your lap, stretch yourself and select a handful of things that went well. For instance, if you’re ambulatory—as in not paralyzed in any way—this is always a reason to rejoice. If you don’t have a toothache that keeps you awake at night, hey! There’s another reason to shoot a grateful smile heavenward. 

Let’s practice thankfulness on a consistent basis—especially when we don’t feel like it. 

Thank you for reading this article! 

So grateful for you.

Photo Credit: AaronAmat 

Audrey Davidheiser, PhD is a California licensed psychologist, certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist, and IFSI-approved clinical consultant. After founding and directing a counseling center for the Los Angeles Dream Center, she now devotes her practice to survivors of trauma—including spiritual abuse. If you need her advice, visit her on www.aimforbreakthrough.com and Instagram @DrAudreyD.